theobamaadministrationistaking to beef up security at u.s. facilities worldwide. >> as i have said many times, i take responsibility, and nobody is more committed to getting this right. i am determined to leave the state department and our country safer, stronger and more secure. heather: doug mckelway is live for us on capitol hill with the very latest. doug, we're learning new details seems moment by moment. what can you tell us? >> reporter: well, most recent thing, senator rand paul absolutely skewering the secretary of state moments ago calling the attack on benghazi the worst since 9/11. he said he would have removed the secretary of state from her post because of that. among other new revelations she was asked directly if she was made aware of requests by ambassador stevens and others for heightened security in benghazi in light of 30 previous security threats and two specific attacks? here was her response. >> first, let's start on the night of september 11th itself and those difficult early days. i directed our response from the state department, stayed in close contact with of

me. the. >> pelley: what canpresidentobamadofor the states in asecondadministration? >>i think the smooth imlimit station of the affordable care act, so-called obamacare, which is off to a very good start and it's quite familiar to us in massachusetts because it's modeled on what we've had since 2006 but i think it's a big list for a lot of states and i think the partnership that h.h.s. has shown already with the states and the flexibility has been enormously important. beyond that, i think a growth agenda which is about investing in our future is enormously important to everything and every citizen. >> schieffer: governor, if you were to put a headline on the president's speech today, what would be the headline? what's the hook? >> i think i'd say "new resolve." i think what we'll see in the second term is a fresh resolve from this president. a dorplgs continue to try to pull us together. to ask people to turn to each other rather than on each other. to be very, very specific about the big lifts we have to do in gun safety, in immigration reform and, above all, in what we have

for service, hastheobamaadministrationdonea lot to lower the cost of health care going forward so we don't need to do much more? what do you think is in practical terms what needs to be done on health care if you poll people they say we all want to cut medicare celerity want to go dealing with that piece of the puzzle? >> that reminds me when i was in graduate school i went to study foreign policy and was right around the time they balanced the budget and i thought my gosh what am i going to do? so i realized the long-term problems were still there and i had to make a choice whether social security or health care and it was easy, social security is easy supply jumped into becoming a social security expert because health care is so hard. they're really is no other issue at the core of all of this. we don't know the answers and the best thing that we can do right now is putting in place as many different attempts to control health care costs and evaluating what works so we don't with a fork or not we've seen the costs coming down, and that could be in anticipation that could be temporary a

-mile project totheobamaadministration. thepresident has pushed back a decision on the project until after march, but the pipeline's future remains in doubt as president obama rejected a plan a year ago, you'll recall, saying the legislation didn't give enough time for the government to give it a thorough review. >> and you know, michael steele, we were talking this morning about how the republicans move forward in a more thoughtful, strategic way. still being tough. >> yeah. >> you can be tough. you can be conservative. you can still be smart. >> be smart. that's right. >> we haven't been smart. a guy who has been smart, chris christie. new quinnipiac poll numbers out this morning. i want you guys -- republicans, you can actually be conservative. you can actually fight, and you can actually win. listen to these numbers. chris christie's approval rating right now, 74% in new jersey. with a 21% disapproval. he's 56% approval rating among democrats, 78% among independents. and was governor christie right to criticize john boehner? 79% say yes. 15% say no. 70% of republicans say yes, th

biden pledged thattheobamaadministrationwouldmake sure that future infrastructure investments are more targeted to local areas. in november, last year, the vice president hosted our leadership in the white house to discuss the fiscal cliff and the concerns of mayors regarding both investment programs and tax-exempt financing. issueer there's a major that demands attention, again and again and again, vice president joe biden has shown the leadership and courage needed to help move our nation in the right direction. and that is why i was certainly heartened when president obama asked vice president biden to lead a special task force to develop responses to the tragedy not only at sandy hook elementary school, but the daily tragedies we see all across america. the nation's mayors and vice president biden have stood together for many, many years in support of public safety. after all, it was then-senator joe biden who championed the crime bill, which established the cops program and included the ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, which congress unfortunately, all

of that effort, and we will be. >> and what is the united states government,theobamaadministrationwillingto do to be part of that effort of the french invasion of mali? >> well, you know, it's important to see an international effort. there are european countries that will be helping on training and other steps. and the united states is helping as well. we're helping on airlift and intelligence support. we'll look at other ways to try to provide assistance, as well as training. this has to be an international effort, because frankly, al-queda is an international threat. the best way to handle this now is to have all of these countries working together to do everything we can to stop al-queda. >> mr. secretary, you do not imagine u.s. fighting forces being involved in mali alongside the french at this point? >> no, i don't see troops on the ground. but i do see the kind of assistance that will help the french and ultimately help the african nation go into mali and really provide more permanent security there. >> what are some of the national security threats over the next four years and n

loopholes. three, strengthen the penalties for illegal purchases of guns. today,presidentobamaandvice president biden released the administration's plan to reduce gun violence through new legislation and executive action. i was honored to be at the white house earlier today for that release and i can tell you that the administration clearly listened closely to the recommendation which the mayors have offered. the nation's mayors urge congress to give that report full consideration and to move swiftly forward on the legislative action it requires. we know preventing gun violence whether it is a mass shooting on a school or murder on a street corner will take more than just strengthening our gun laws. we need to reverse a culture of violence in our nation so violent acts are not the first response of settling a difference or compensating for a wrong. we need to fund our mental health system so we can identify troubled individuals earlier and get them the help they need. lastly, in addition i personally support the creation of a national commission of domestic terrorism, violence, and cr

for straw purchases of guns. today of course presidentbarackobamaandvice president biden released the administration's plan to reduce gun violence, both through new legislation and executive action. i was honored to be at the white house earlier today for that release and i can tell you that the administration clearly listened closely to the recommendations which the mayors have offered. the nation's mayors urge the congress to give that report full consideration and to move swiftly forward on the legislative action that it requires. we know that preventing gun violence, whether it is mass shootings in a school or murder on a street corner will take much more than just strengthening our gun laws. we need to reverse the culture of violence in our nation so that violent acts are not the first response of settling a difference or compensating for a wrong. we need to strengthen and more adequately fund our mental health system so we can identify troubled individuals earlier and get them the help that they need. lastly, in addition to -- in addition, i personally support the creation o